Life Stream
by pseudonymous-gibberish
Summary: 500 years later, Nanaki looks back at all that has happened as the past threatens to repeat itself, a young blonde boy is found by the river of Nibelheim and Shinra is rebuilt. Coincidence? Cloud x Sephiroth and various other pairings. Shounen Ai Warning
1. Shinra

**Life Stream**  
  
Author's Notes:   
Heyo~! This is a Ippayame story (aka. Collaborated story by Ippus and Ayame) and wells, those of you who are offended by Shounen ai/Yaoi should leave this ficcie instantly…or at least read this chapter and every other one until we put up a warning saying some gay factors are there eheh…  
Hope you enjoy the ficcie ^^ rating MAY go up eventually…  
  
Disclaimers:  
All FF7 characters belong to Squaresoft and Amano dude XD Don't sue us pls XD~   
  
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Nanaki stood by the cliff with his young offspring. How long has it been since he came here again?  
  
But there was a reason for his returning to the ruins of Midgar, it is only now he realized the stupidity of man. The only reason he hadn't turned his back was for he was also indebt to humans.   
  
…Cloud.   
  
That was 500 years ago, it had all flown past like a gust of wind. Cloud never got married; his reason was simply that he believed that he was unable to protect anyone, not his family, nor his friends…not even his arch enemy.   
It was a strange idea until you put in the fact that Sephiroth was once his idol, the path of his life. In a sense he was the only thing that revolved in Cloud's life, his goal, his achievement, his fragmented memory, his destiny.   
  
This of course gave dear Tifa a great shock. She expected to get married…to him anyway. It was plain to see Tifa loved him, whether Cloud was plainly stupid, to naïve to notice reactions or just plainly ignoring her, he rejected. Not directly, he just failed to respond to her. When she had finally come out with it all however, he showed surprise, confusion, and soon Tifa left for, like any other woman, she was unable to wait any longer.   
  
She married soon and had 2 children, there was one more but it died from child birth. Tifa continued to live even after it however, nobody expected she would survive but she was strong, was always so very strong.   
  
Marlene was found however with other families inside the ruins of the church. Aerith has once said it was a sacred place, what she didn't know was that it was her love for the place that allowed life to grow, it also saved lives. Barret was overjoyed to see his daughter unharmed, he lives with Aerith's mother until her death, and he died not short after in a mining accident. Cid married Shera, who didn't expect this? They lived on together until a ripe old age. Vincent died not long after the meteor incident, mainly from mutation from Hojo's experimentations and Mako poisoning. Cloud was awfully sad over this…it seemed like afterwards, Vincent's gloomy self was the only one he could confide in. Vincent understood his reoccurring nightmares.   
And Yuffie came to rule over Wutai after her father. She made her country strong and was greatly mourned for after her death.   
  
Cloud disappeared without a trace, not long after Tifa's revelation.   
  
Nanaki has seen all this come and go, friends and enemies come and go. Soon Midgar was forgotten and that was that…   
  
Until now, a new Shinra family had emerged, royalty they were, relatives of the old Shinra through generations. Is this what they call history repeats? Arthur Shinra was a distant relative who was clear in mind. He helped the rebuilding of a new society, but soon his family was given more and more power, finally the name Rufus returned. The frightening thing was how similar he was to the old Rufus, striking looks, pulled back hair, cold blue eyes and a cunning mind, forever confident, but not yet president.   
  
Nanaki has put all this as coincidence, such tings happen, but it was only when he returned to Cosmo Canyon that he realized something was completely wrong. The stars were lining in a strange pattern, the Life stream seemed restless.   
  
"Father, this ancient place was once where Midgar has been has it not?" Nanaki turned to his oldest son. He was now about 30 years of age, almost the age he was when he embarked on his journey with Cloud…yet another coincidence. He looked so strikingly familiar to his old self, before the battle scars, before the numbering and experimentations. He was a strong one, wearing his weaponry combs, his son Asraid, his own pride and joy.   
  
"Yes Asraid, humans seem to have not learnt their lesson. The Life stream is afraid, restless even. Something's very wrong, but it doesn't start here…"   
"Then why father are we here? Shouldn't we be stopping them!? Those humans would destroy the very planet we're living in! You of all creatures should know very well what would happen!"   
  
Nanaki looked away from his son. This was another thing strikingly similar between them, prideful and the urge to protect the planet at all costs. He had problems with him, like he had with his own father. They both believed they had known everything…   
  
Nanaki shook his head, "I came here to remember, to think, and to show you all what had happened before. A disaster is coming; you are all my precious offspring, Asraid my first, Imora, Ishbait, Hatora, Rambus, and my last little one, Vashmit. When disaster strikes, everything seems hopeless, but here is the pure example of hope."   
  
Asraid shook his mane. "How can ruins be hope? Deaths and sorrow lie in such places!"   
Nanaki smiled, at least tried without looking menacing. "This is the problem with you my son, what do you see around you? Are there no trees? Are there no birds? Even the monsters who roam the earth till now, are they not all living? When I was alive, there were almost nothing here, a deathly place and a large flying pizza in the sky emitting dangerous fumes. Beneath it was nothing but poverty and a dying planet from over usage of the planet's energy. There were no jungles or fields, and to add to that, there was a threat to the Life stream, a deadly threat from the sky under the code name JENOVA and his son Sephiroth, the strongest being on the planet, created by a madman named Hojo. A meteor was above us, darkening the sky, it seemed as if NOTHING was to save us…not even the great magic of Holy…" Nanaki paused; memories came flooding back of his friends, long deceased…   
"Cloud came to us, a man who was truthfully a living wreck, no aim, no memory. He never really was the status of Sephiroth…but he defeated him. His love and kindness to a flower girl in the middle of Midgar saved the planet. The Life stream and Holy reacted to her prayer and death…we would not be here if it wasn't for her…"   
Asraid watched his father, an ancient being in the eyes of man, yet just a normal old creature in their eyes; he still had years to come.   
"Something in the planet cries, something's wrong. We will return to our Canyon and protect those we have sworn our lives upon. A savior will come, I think I know who…but he will come." Asraid bowed his head; his father was much too wise for him to go against. He respected him at all cost, he even loved him.   
  
Nanaki looked at the ruins once more, man saves and destroys. Such a repeat in history is most unusual…it was too similar to the past. He hoped that it would end with hope once more.   
  
…Hope.   
  
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All comments and criticisms welcome XP   
Please flame when you have a proper reason to please -.- 


	2. Past, Present, Future

**LifeStream**

Author's notes:  
BloodRaevynn Thank you =D! I'm motivated X'D (Everyone run!!! This aint a good sign!!!!) Hope...I get....this thing...right....throws head back and laughs  
I'm actually working on something i am sooooo doomed . Pigs are going to fly soon!

piggie : Oink? flaps wings

stare okay...there seems like no way outta this now...

Few notes for Ayame and Suki-chan (yes you innocent passerbys may ignore this)  
CAN YOU PLS E-MAIL ME I NEED CONTACT DAMMIT!  
  
Disclaimers:  
All FF7 characters belong to Squaresoft and Amano dude XD Don't sue us pls XD   
  
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She gazed at the church. The church she came to love many years ago was better than this, however everything was better BEFORE.   
Kneeling down, she stroked the delicate pink petals of a petunia. At least flowers grew here also.

The lifestream called it the puppet master, yes, that's what the planet condemned. He was going to start it all over again...however...

Soft light filtered through the stained glass, projecting coloured patterns on the church grounds, over the oak floor boards, the red carpet and the small patch of ground by the center where the flowers grew. Yet, unheard to the normal ear, the Planet cried, it wept over what was taken from it by force. But she could hear it, for she was once again the last ancient, the last Cetra.

She turned, there was a man sitting in the pews.

"You know I won't go Tseng." He smiled, politely. They have known one another for some time, he would come and attempt to take her away and she would always disappear through the many exits of the church. Yet before anything happened, they would ahve this kind of conversation, about legends, the past, anything that regarded life. This was why he always came alone, besides the fact that Reno was not trustworthy at such a situation and that Rude would make simply anyone uneasy. And Elena? She was new, she had dreams, she had expectations.   
"However it is the President's orders." He spoke in an almost apologetic tone. These conversations may be the only reason why he'd let her go all the time. If it was just any ol' person, he'd brign the rest of the TURKS along with some soldiers.  
"But his order doesn't mean a thing to me." Aerith turned to stare at him levelly. Admittedly, she was very beautiful.   
"I heard about projects, weird occurances within Shinra. Then one day, I see the almighty Sephiroth before my eyes." Tsend watched as Aerith stiffened, indeed it has come down to this.  
"You do know," She replied, quietly gulping down air as she began to tremble slightly, "That you too are part of the entire project." Tseng gave a knowing nod.  
"It's too much of a coincidence...everything."  
"Yet you continue to help them...knowing we all shouldn't be here at all!" Her eyes misted, all this was nothing but a play by a lowly human being striving power.  
  
_Puppet Master..._

"What can i do? No matter how many times I have lived before...what matters is now, is it not?" She laughed bitterly at his explanation.  
"What if the present and future become what the past was. It's strange how we live on the planet yet never learn from it." She turned to leave.  
"Well...I was one of the villians back then." Aerith Froze. "If the past is to repeat itself..."

---

The houses were up in flames as a man stood amidst it all. A long silver mane cascaded down his head, and he wore basically all black. He weilded an extremely long sword, one which even the stupidest of men would be able to sense its cursed deadliness. It fitted him, the fire, the clothes, the sword, it all came together as one picture.

Then like a flood, the noises came, women crying, men yelling at him only to be slaughtered in one clean blow, as blood splattered over the pavement. He laughed, he was insane.

_I can't see his face...   
_  
He turned.

---

Cloud awoke in cold sweat. It was the same dream again.  
  
_No...Not a dream...a nightmare..._

There was a sudden scurry of footsteps, the door opened as his mother came in witha single candle in her hand, elluminating the dark room. She stared at Cloud, wide eyed.  
"Just-"  
"-A dream." She finished for him. "Now you lie down and give us some peace for once." She came and sat beside him, lifting a hand ovr his head to stroke his forehead. It's been a month since they had found him by the river running through Nibelheim. Many were found in such rivers, it was beleived that they were people who had cursed lives, drifting through the lifestream, unable to enter the promised land or even reincarnate, as the lifestream tried its best to cure their broken spirits.   
The rivers were made 500 years ago when the earth splitted for the lifestream to stop meteor from destroying the world. It was also beleived that they lead directly into the planet's core, but then again you can believe anything nowadays.  
"Mother?"   
"Hmm?"  
"Don't...ever leave me." She smiled. He acted so young, but then again he didn't have much of a childhood from the life he was living now.  
"I won't. Now you go to sleep." She tucked him in, he gave a yawn.  
"Be careful with fire too..." She paused a moment before she gave a laugh. Cloud looked at her, confused.   
"Unless you're the one playing with fire I think the whole town is safe. If ever you get married, you make sure your wife can cook, you're terrible in the kitchen." She kissed him on the forehead as his eyes fluttered to a close. This was what heaven should be like, on a small comfortable bed and those you love caring for you.   
"Good night mom."  
"Good morning you mean." She stroked his hair one last time before heading out the room.   
The door closed shut, it was dark again, the only sounds came from the creeking floor boards, the soft padding of feet as her mother retired to her room and the soft scrabbling of rodents around the house.

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Sorry bout the shortness...I didn't want to ruin it xX Think I'd ramble even more if I carried on.  
jumps up and down Must...work...HARDER! runs around in circles There's no mor echocolate at home ToT!!!


	3. Nibelheim

**Life Stream**

Author's Notes:

2nd Chapter. Not much to say, Ayame get ure butt over anyway, I have important matters to discuss X'D

Thank you all who have bothered to read my fanfic X'D it's terrible but I'm, working on it X'D

Disclaimers:

All FF7 characters belong to Squaresoft and Amano dude XD Don't sue us pls XD

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_...Puppet Master..._

Aerith stood by the church's flowering altar like she has done everyday, just waiting. The familiar figure walked in and sat in his usual spot.

"Tseng, you know what my-"

"He's caught." She froze. Slowly, she clutched her combat baton, her knuckles growing white.

"I know."

"Do you?" Tseng stood, waiting for a reply. A long silence remained as the dark suited man turned and began to leave, only to stop again hearing her utter the word:

"...Yes."

_...Puppet Master..._

History repeats, that is something that often happens yet to duplicate the past into the future is something different. This requires tearing out the life force of the past, hurting the planet's surface and forcing open the gates to the life stream, then forcing those life forces into human bodies. This is why the planet cries, imagine your body torn in order to have someone force out part of your spirit, it hurts and by the end you know you have lost something. It may be small, yet it is significant, a part of your which will change who you are.

_...Puppet Master..._

Hojo stood before the rows of Mako capsules. There had always been a Hojo in Shinra Co. for as long as people can remember. Not once was there a time when he had not been there, he just was just there. His joining and retirement dates were never recorded, whether he had a social life was never known. Shinra hadn't the nerve to question him, he provided power for them as long as they remained ignorant. It was only when Rufus was born that things changed slightly. Unlike most of those before him he was intelligent, scheming and was actually curious about what Hojo does.

It didn't matter.

"Can you hear them Sephiroth? They cry for their children yet they cannot hear." He threw his head back and laughed. He then turned to the silent figure behind him, Sephiroth his emotionless puppet. He wasn't going to let him make the same mistake as before, he wouldn't allow him human emotions. It had set up too many delays last time, controlled objects are always more efficient. Last time it came to a point where he deliberately made him insane...

"It will work this time my son, we just need the last obstacle removed." He turned back towards the capsule, there was something alive in it. It banged through the murky green-blue Mako and demanded release.

_...Puppet Master..._

Cloud sat by the window, Mrs. Strife could not help but notice that look of longing in his eyes. It had always been there when Cloud believed nobody was taking any notice of him.

"...Why..." She had always assumed that it was the other children again.

"It will pass." He jerked round, only to relax again seeing it was only his mother. "They will understand soon" It was a known fact in Nibelheim that Cloud had social problems.

"I don't need them to understand." His eyes began to brim with tears, catching her off guard. "I just wish they will stop..." She had never expected it to be this serious. As a mother she found herself unable to do anything but embrace him tightly.

"It will be okay...it always has." She kissed his cheek, rubbing his back slightly like she would to a young child.

_He always acts like a young child...I always treat him like one._

She let him go as the neighbour's son came into view, calling Cloud down. She knew now it was time she spoke to the parents again.

_...Puppet Master..._

A majestic looking Chocobo strode across the empty plains, its yellow feathers gleaming under the sun, its expression serious. It was here on an extremely important mission, to find a very important someone. Nothing can stop him. Not even the suspicious looking bag of Gyasha Greens that lay across his path.

...Gyasha Greens?__

The bird came to an abrupt halt. Eating a suspicious looking bag of Gyasha Greens was not safe, and it will delay his mission. He knew perfectly well that it wasn't a good sign.

...A nibble wouldn't hurt.

---

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Tifa whispered to Kain as the bird stared at the Gyasha greens. "I heard Chocobos can get quite nasty when angered..." Kain waved it off.

"We can handle it right Lerch? Andrew? Cloud?" Lerch and Andrew nodded, Cloud looked unsure. "Cloud?"

The boy looked up to his friend. "It's not...right..." His friend frowned at him.

"It's a Chocobo! We're supposed to ride on Chocobos!"

"But..." He stared at the ropes and the tranquilizers. "It's still-"

"Cloud are you with us or not?" The boys stared at him. Cloud gulped before nodding as the boys gave a triumphant smile. "Well then, come on!" The boys stealthily moved towards the large bird.

---

THAT caught him off guard.

It began to squawk loudly, flaying its wings and throwing his neck from side to side as its powerful legs prepared to kick. Then the ropes came, snaking around his neck, his wings, and his legs. He squawked louder, using its remaining energy on futile attacks until a strange drowsiness over came him. The world went black.

---

"What do we do now?" Cloud asked uncertainly, the bird as getting out of hand so he had to knock him out with a few tranquilizers. He hoped it was okay. "It's starting to wake up..." They had tied the bird to a post in a Chocobo pen.

"We'll ride him of course!" Kain replied.

"But-"

"Cloud why are you being such a sissy? We caught the bird right?" Cloud gave a sigh and shook his head. They never listened to him.

"Besides, Tifa, you wanted to ride one before right?" Tifa gave a small jump, and looked up. She wasn't expecting them to ask her.

"...Yes." she replied, blushing madly and looking away from Cloud's accusing gaze. Kain grinned, he knew of Cloud's little crush over Tifa, that was the only reason why he would put up with them.

"You see! Even Tifa wants to have a ride." Kain turned towards the bird as it began to stand up. He was going to show his father he COULD ride these birds. "Come on, we don't have all day. If our parents find us we won't be able to try." He untied the ropes from the post and walked towards the bird which eyed him steadily.

"Hey Kain! Careful you know how angry those birds can get!" Even Andrew sounded worried. Cloud didn't like the sound of it at all, the bird was dangerous, he was sure however...

"Here I go!" He began to get up on the bird, the bird allowed him to do so. "You see?" He said as he sat comfortably upon its back. "Nothing to it!"

Then it happened, the bird began to run around the pen madly at a frightening pace, squawking and leaping until it threw the poor boy to the ground. Kain gritted his teeth, glaring back at the bird as the others began to laugh.

_I WILL ride you!_

He tried again, only to anger the bird more and was soon on the floor once more.

"You're useless! Let me have a go!" Andrew cried as he clutched his belly from laughing too hard. Kain snarled at him but allowed him to the so. It wasn't as if Andrew will do any better.

He began to get onto the bird but as soon as his leg was brought over on its back it began to run madly again, flinging him to the ground.

"Useless, don't you lot even know how to train a bird?" Lerch smirked, "I'll show you." He grabbed a long stick from the side, tied the bird onto a post. He rides on as it struggles, then lets the line go. The bird tries again, madly trying to throw the boy off as the others watch him calmly cling on, swatting the bird once in a while to move. However something was wrong.

"Lerch..." Cloud called softly.

"What Cloud?" He grunted as he continued to hang into the bird. The bird looked around madly as it continued its fruitless attempt to fling the boy off, the girl outside the pen caught his eye.

He charged.

"STOP!" What happened afterwards came all too quickly. The bird dashed at the girl, its beak ready to tear her apart. Instead another boy came into view. There was blood, however instead of the girl's head, there was the boy's arm clutched in his beak. "Stop it...Lerch...get off him..." Cloud manages to growl through gritted teeth. He wasn't going to cry out.

The shocked rider dismounted obediently, staring in horror at the other boy's arm. Cloud glared back at the angered Chocobo levelly. "Let go."

The bird glared back, until he saw through the deep glowing blue eyes of the boy before him and let go.

A hand came, rubbing its head, the boy pressed his forehead over the top of the bird's beak.

"Good boy..." The world begin to spin, the trees, the Chocobo pen, Kain, Lerch, Andrew all gaping, then Tifa looking worriedly at him. His hand slid down the waves of feathers, dragging his down with it.

He fainted.

---

_...Puppet Master..._

The same dream once again. Masses of angry green blue light, coiling, glowing, chanting.

"...Why..."

_It will pass...They will understand soon..._

"I don't need them to understand...I just wish they will stop..."

_It will be okay..._

_...It always has._

The chanting continued. The darkness and green blue light began to fade down to what looked like the ground. This was hard to tell, for nothing but darkness surrounded him, however if he were to have been standing on the ground, that's where the light had sunk into.

Then images came again, the same Nibelheim setting, the small well he would talk with Tifa at odd nights, the road the boys travelled up just for fun, the mansion behind them all.

It all burst into flames. A maniacal laughter rang through his ears, and the same silver haired man stood with his back to him.

The floor began to drip crimson, as if blood fell from the sky. Cloud looked up and watched the blood rain pelting down over the fire stricken Nibelheim. A flood came, and once more he was engulfed in blue green.

---

"I'm so sorry Mrs. Strife..." Tifa gave a soft whimper, this was not suppose to have happened.

"It's not your fault Tifa." Mrs. Strife turned, and embraced the girl.

"But it is!" Tifa began to openly weep. It was her fault, she shouldn't have told Kain she wanted a Chocobo, she only did it to grab his attention, instead she made her friend severely injured.

"Hush..."

"Will he be okay?" She said through helpless sobs, the tears threatened to never stop.

"Yes. He will." She looked down at her son, lying in bed. His arm lay by his side, covered in blood soaked bandages. "Everything will be okay...it always has."

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Sorry about the over use of repetition X'D I don't even know if it even worked X'D

The thing crying puppet master, every chance it gets is actually the planet crying beneath all the events occurring above.

The beginning part is after Cloud is captured, however during the talk between Cloud and his mother was all before Nibelheim was brought down. Thus yes the person in the capsule is Cloud...I think I'm gonna give him more freedom this time.

The dream part, you know how when you dream, you sort of mix reality all over the place? Well he's sort of dreaming of the earlier conversation, merged with the upcoming events and what is actually happening below the surface of the planet.

Oh and for now Cloud likes Tifa X'D I don't think I'll jump into shounen ai-ness just yet X'D

I'll try not to use the over repetition again XP as I said it didn't even work X'D


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